2025MandEmagazine

Agent of Next College rebrands in honor of Music Row executive

Scott Borchetta

Middle Tennessee State University

2025 / Vol. 4, No. 1

Dean

Beverly Keel

Strategic Communication Manager

Stacey Tadlock

Senior Editor

Drew Ruble

Associate Editor

Carol Stuart

Director of Creative and Visual Services

Kristy D. O’Neal

Designer

Brian Evans

University Photographers

James Cessna, Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli, Cat Curtis Murphy

Contributing Editor

Nancy Broden

Contributing Writers

Nancy DeGennaro, DeAnn Hays, Robin E. Lee

University President

Sidney A. McPhee

University Provost

Mark Byrnes

Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Andrew Oppmann

Cover photo by J. Intintoli

Address changes should be sent to Advancement Services, MTSU Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; alumni@mtsu.edu. Other correspondence should be sent to M&E magazine, Drew Ruble, 1301 E. Main St., MTSU Box 49, Murfreesboro, TN 37132.

The Next Chapter Begins

After more than three years, I am delighted to exclaim that the best-kept secret in Tennessee has been revealed: We are now the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment! And we’re in elite company. Other universities with internationally renowned music leaders include USC, which has the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy, and NYU, with the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. We are dreaming bigger than ever before!

Thanks to the generosity of music industry icon Scott Borchetta, the founder of Big Machine Label Group, our reputation, resources, and opportunities have never been greater. Now that the news is out, I am already hearing from universities in other countries who would like to collaborate with our faculty and students.

I can’t wait for you to read the interview with Scott, whose dedication to music education continues to grow. For instance, Sandi and Scott Borchetta’s Music Has Value Fund provides funding that supports those who make music, aspire to make music, and access and appreciate music. Scott’s generosity has allowed us to renovate the Bragg Building, hire a strategic communications specialist, and fund numerous student opportunities. We are financing more student travel than ever, whether it’s to the Grammy Awards, South by Southwest, or digital animation conferences. We have purchased technology, funded scholarships, recruited students, and supported faculty research.

As you will see, this has been our busiest and most successful year yet. Our departments are collaborating more, whether it’s covering the presidential election, where our Journalism and Media Arts students created a live TV

broadcast of election results, or Bonnaroo, where our Media Arts and Recording Industry students produced more than 30 hours of livestreaming for Bonnaroo on Hulu, while Journalism and Photography students provided festival coverage to media outlets statewide.

Our Animation program had two films— All One and Harvest Heist —featured in the Nashville Film Festival. Our students won Best Animation Comedy at the International Student Media Arts Festival for Bubbles

Animation Associate Professor Rick Lewis serves as faculty advisor for MTSU’s Esports team, which won its first division championship! If you are on campus, check out our new Level Up gaming arena in the Student Union.

The School of Journalism and Strategic Media has launched a standalone Advertising and Public Relations bachelor’s degree, online Journalism degree in Media Studies, and fully online master’s in Digital Media.

We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sidelines, so we are delighted that alumni are returning to share their student experiences with current students. Sidelines also is sharing stories from past decades, so it’s fascinating to see what news made the front pages in the past.

The Recording Industry Department has remained on Billboard ’s list of top music business programs for more than a decade now. After seeing our students’ Emmy Award-winning commercial for the college, “We Do It All,” Conference USA asked our songwriting students to create an original song for its brand spot, which airs on ESPN/CBS Sports Network. CUSA officials loved the songs so much that instead of deciding on one, they’re using our students’ work in promotions for women’s and men’s conference athletics. Thanks for your continued support of this college and our students. Thanks to you, great things are possible!

Beverly Keel

Dean, Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment

Culture of Achievement

Variety magazine published its first-ever list of Power of Women Nashville honorees in 2025, and Scott Borchetta College Dean Beverly Keel was included. Keel’s role as co-founder of the gender-equality advocacy group Change the Conversation was highlighted. “When we started, people were still arguing that there was not a problem for women in country music,” she stated. “Now that’s become an accepted fact.” Nashville Lifestyles also honored Keel as one of the top Women in Business 2025.

MTSU’s media college hits milestone with premiere of animated film All One by

Stacey Tadlock

The Department of Media Arts celebrated a milestone at the end of the Fall 2024 semester with the premiere of All One , the first original film from MT Imagine Animation Studio.

MT Imagine serves clients by creating animated content for MTSU and organizations outside the University. The studio offers paid internships, giving students in MTSU’s Animation program valuable experience working on real projects. In addition to client work, the studio focuses on developing original productions, such as All One.

At the film’s December 2024 premiere, a live performance by violinist Inti Jiménez Copete, a graduate student in MTSU’s Recording Industry Department pursuing a Master of Fine Arts, infused emotional depth into the vibrant animated storytelling, enhancing the immersive experience for those watching in the Student Union Ballroom.

Adding to that experience, the film was projected on an ultrawide 48-by-12-foot LED screen assembled the day before by student volunteers under the guidance and supervision of Mike Forbes, director of technical systems in Media Arts.

Produced by a team of over 100 students and faculty, All One showcases the collaborative spirit and creative talent within the University’s Animation program. Led by four student directors—Skye Baxter, Stacey Marie Joan Teves, Cooper Rogers, and Seth Savage—the production united students across all academic levels.

“Our goal was to bring Animation students closer to the live performance industry and to foster a sense of unity and collaboration across the program,” said Associate Professor Rodrigo Gómez, the film’s producer. “The mix of students—from freshmen to seniors—created an incredible sense of collegiality and gave everyone valuable real-world experience.”

The premiere was part of the Animation program’s traditional Animation Showcase, which drew hundreds of attendees.

The production spanned months of meticulous planning and weekend animation sessions. Beginning with brainstorming sessions in the spring, the creative process continued through the summer with scriptwriting, concept design, and animatic development. By fall, 80 Animation students formed 16 teams, collaborating under the leadership of faculty and senior students.

All One follows an astronaut who experiences his separation from life and others while peeling through layers of delirium and darkness only to discover the light in the middle of a never-ending nightmare.

“Humans tend to detach from others in the face of challenges; when we meet hardship, we create layers within our drama and find it difficult to realize what life is all about,” Gómez said. “With our film, we want to express the hardship and joy, the highs and lows, the dark and the light; with our movie, we want to say: We All Are One— Together, We Are Stronger.”

Audio Production students Conrad England, Eli Ray, and Jacob Martin worked alongside violinist Jiménez Copete to craft a dynamic score seamlessly integrated with the animation.

“Inti’s violin gave the film a powerful, emotional tone,” Gómez said. “Seeing musicians and animators collaborate so organically was inspiring. This project exemplifies what we can achieve when we combine our collective talents.”

Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel echoed this sentiment, expressing pride in the students’ dedication and innovation.

“Our students are fearless storytellers, willing to go beyond traditional boundaries. They brought this project to life with unmatched energy and creativity,” she said.

The premiere wasn’t just a celebration of the film but a testament to the groundbreaking opportunities offered by MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College. From using advanced software to designing for a nontraditional 4:1 screen ratio, students gained valuable hands-on experience that helps prepare them for their future careers.

Photo by Cynthia Maravilla

The project brought students closer to the live performance industry, leveraging MTSU’s proximity to Nashville’s entertainment hub while also offering an inclusive production experience, uniting Animation students and faculty across all levels to work together.

The title All One reflects this mission.

This project was made possible through funding from MT Imagine, the Scott Borchetta College, and Undergraduate

Best in Show

MTSU’s Animation degree program is ranked tops in Tennessee and among the best in the nation by Animation Career Review (ACR), an online national and international ranking resource.

In comparing animation programs at 199 schools across the U.S., the 2025 rankings list MTSU as the No. 7 Animation B.S. program in the country, No. 18 among public animation schools and colleges nationally, and the No. 1 program in Tennessee in back-to-back years. The program is housed in MTSU’s Department of Media Arts.

“We are very pleased. Animation faculty have been working very hard over the last several years improving every aspect of our program, and our students have worked even harder,” said Kevin McNulty, Animation program coordinator and associate professor. “We are constantly assessing our curriculum and adapting based on technology and industry changes.”

Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) grants, which supported the collaboration and creative efforts.

All On e, which has begun its journey to the animation festival circuit, sets the stage for future collaborations and innovations at MT Imagine Animation Studio.

“We’ve awakened the creativity monster at MTSU,” Gómez said. “There is no stopping now.”

The ACR rankings are based on information collected from the college/university websites, surveys, LinkedIn, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

In summer 2024, six MTSU Animation students—Dani Oliver, Ashten Royse, Olivia Armstrong, Star Akhom, Allen Marin, and Emily Mishoe—captured the award for Best Animation Comedy at the International Student Media Arts Festival in Seoul, South Korea.

Their animated film Bubbles, which tells the story of a social media influencer living in her own bubble, also won Best College Animated Film at the international Southern Oasis Film Festival in April 2025. Fourteen MTSU students and four faculty attended the annual film festival in Sevierville that showcased more than 90 films.

Media Arts sophomore Trevor Sparks won Best Student Screenplay at the event, and freshman Eowyn Palace Wagner and junior Griffin Stump had their work screened. Media Arts Professor Allie Sultan hosted a sound mixing workshop, while Assistant Professor Kathy Conkwright participated in a panel on regional filmmaking.

Students spent the weekend networking with hundreds of media professionals, including industry keynote guests like Gala Avary (producer of Quentin Tarantino’s podcast) and Bob Saenz (a screenwriter with over a dozen produced films, including Hallmark Christmas movies).

MTSU alum Alex Howard (l), bassist for Jelly Roll

On a Roll

Connections to rapper Jelly Roll shine a spotlight on MTSU’s Recording Industry programs by Stacey Tadlock and Drew Ruble

MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment helped music superstar Jelly Roll officially open his new bar, Goodnight Nashville, on Lower Broadway in February 2025.

Jelly Roll is the stage name of Jason DeFord, a Nashvilleborn rapper, singer, and songwriter who blends Southern rap with bluesy vocals. He rose to fame from a troubled past that included prison time and drug addiction, and his music explores themes of addiction, pain, and hope. Jelly Roll reached mainstream prominence following the release of his 2022 singles “Son of a Sinner” and “Need a Favor.” In 2023, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards.

Scott Borchetta College Dean Beverly Keel used the sponsorship to speak to the sold-out crowd at Goodnight Nashville’s grand opening about the Recording Industry program at MTSU.

She also introduced MTSU alumna Chloe Kimes, an Americana singer-songwriter, who in May 2022 was recognized by NPR for its Emerging Artist Spotlight as one of “10 Nashville Artists on the Rise.” Kimes opened for Jelly Roll at the event.

But that’s not the only MTSU connection to Jelly Roll.

Alex Howard, a 2020 Scott Borchetta College alumnus with an Integrated Studies degree focusing on Media and Entertainment, is the touring bass player for Jelly Roll.

Unlike a traditional college experience, Howard balanced higher education with years of touring—an experience that shaped both his career and his perspective on success.

From headlining Bridgestone Arena with his parents in the crowd to playing legendary venues like Red Rocks and even performing on Saturday Night Live, Howard’s four-year journey with Jelly Roll has been nothing short of incredible. But for him, some of the most meaningful moments have happened offstage—giving back through performances at prisons, juvenile centers, and rehab facilities.

“It’s been very meaningful to be able to give back to people in need or people who need to be shown a little extra love,” he said.

Howard spent years writing and recording with his band Conditions. A rock band from Richmond, Virginia, Conditions released its first recorded material in 2007 and played Bamboozle and the Warped Tour that same year. The group signed with Good Fight Music and released its debut full-length Fluorescent Youth in 2010, followed by Full of War in 2013.

After Conditions, Howard toured nonstop as a hired gun for Sleeping With Sirens (2014–17), Hoodie Allen (2017–20), and now Jelly Roll (2021–present).

Howard’s advice to current students? Immerse yourself fully in your craft, always show up prepared, and don’t fear the unknown.

“My time at MTSU taught me how to be ready for anything,” he said. “If you’re unsure about your path, don’t stress—try things, stay open-minded, and remember that failure is just an opportunity for a fresh start.”

Alumna Chloe Kimes at Jelly Roll’s bar opening

From an online Digital Media master’s to election coverage and a campus PR/advertising agency, MTSU students gain deadline experience on the front lines

Whether it’s joining the student-run newsroom, calling games for ESPN+, or joining the in-house advertising agency, students in MTSU’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media gain real-world experience to prepare for careers in a dynamic media landscape.

The internationally recognized and accredited School of Journalism and Strategic Media is the top-ranked media school in Tennessee (2025 Broadcast Media Association’s Festival of Media Arts) and recently won two Pinnacle Awards from the College Media Association.

Inside the Bragg Building, the Center for Innovation in Media brings together two campus radio stations (WMOT and WMTS), the Sidelines news outlet, and TV broadcasting facilities used by the Middle Tennessee News team as students tell stories, build audiences, and design portfolios. A communications agency has also joined the fold.

Here are a few recent headlines about enhanced opportunities for undergraduate students and graduates seeking to expand their media skills, from advertising and public relations to digital media and beyond.

BETTER BY DEGREES

MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment has launched a new accelerated master’s degree in Digital Media that is offered completely online.

Professor Ken Blake, director of the Office of Communication Research, said the new degree will expose students to theory and methodology and is aimed at people ready to take the next step in their careers.

“It’s really schedule-friendly for people who need to work on their master’s degrees around the rest of their lives. It’s totally online and asynchronous, meaning you can work through everything on your own schedule as long as you meet the assignment deadlines set by the professor.”

“It’s really schedule-friendly for people who need to work on their master’s degrees around the rest of their lives,” Blake said. “It’s totally online and asynchronous, meaning you can work through everything on your own schedule as long as you meet the assignment deadlines set by the professor.”

Blake described the students who have already applied to the program as “experienced in their media careers” and “savvy.”

Despite its being an accelerated program, Blake said students don’t have to complete it in a year, nor do they have to do a capstone project or thesis.

Katie Foss, director of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, said the new master’s will help students enhance and update their skills without getting a second bachelor’s degree.

“We created this degree out of demand for an online, practical degree. Across industries, up-to-date digital media skills are critical in today’s landscape,” Foss said.

In addition, the School of Journalism and Strategic Media launched a B.S. in Advertising and Public Relations degree and an online Media Studies program.

ELECTION RESULTS

Students from Media Arts’ Live Production Capstone class and Journalism’s Media Experiences and Election Analytics classes came together to produce three live 2024 fall election specials, showcasing their impressive skills in professional-level production and content generation.

This collaboration brought classroom learning into real-world practice, allowing students to experience the fast-paced demands of election night coverage firsthand.

Not only were students actively covering the election, but faculty and staff were deeply involved as well. For instance, Blake guided students as they tracked early voting turnout in Rutherford County. Other involved faculty included Bob Gordon, Mike Forbes, Charlie Scudder, and Foss.

This hands-on project, part of a specialized course in election-focused reporting, gave students invaluable experience in analyzing voter data trends.

EVER BLUE

In late 2024, the School of Journalism and Strategic Media launched a student-powered communications agency, Ever Blue Branding, intended to boost area businesses while providing students with job-ready experiences in a fully functioning agency.

Ever Blue Branding helps clients with a wide range of communication materials and services ranging from

strategic planning, brand building, and integrated campaigns to trend reports, market research, consumer studies, SEO, and communication audits.

Tricia M. Farwell, an associate professor who serves as the agency’s faculty executive, said the student-run agency has been years in the making.

“The students did everything from deciding the agency’s name to deciding the logo, deciding the structure, and talking about what font would be used as the agency font,” she said. “They really got in the weeds of setting up the agency’s structure.”

Currently, the agency is a class with a structured meeting time and a grade that counts as credit toward the students’ degrees. Plans are to eventually expand the agency to be more of a full-day, paid experience for students.

The agency is also in the process of building its professional advisory board, which includes inaugural member, professional industry advisor, and alumnus Brooks Christol of the advertising agency Barker & Christol in Murfreesboro.

Ever Blue Branding is accepting new clients. For more information, email everbluebranding@mtsu.edu

Ever Blue Branding students working on a project for MTSU as their first client

Esports at MTSU now includes a national championship and degree offerings

by DeAnn Hays, Drew Ruble, and Stacey Tadlock

MTSU Esports has become one of largest clubs on campus. The club fields multiple teams that compete outside the University framework. They hold annual tryouts, practice regularly, watch games together (the way traditional sports teams watch film), and participate in scrimmages and tournaments with teams from other schools.

MTSU’s Esports NECC Division IV Rocket League team recently defeated the University of North Carolina–Wilmington to win the championship in its new Level Up gaming arena. It was MTSU’s first esports championship!

The Level Up Arena opened last fall on the second floor of the Student Union Building for students across campus. The Level Up Arena offers real-world opportunities

for esports students to broadcast competitions with professional equipment.

MTSU also has the Gaming Lab in Business and Aerospace Building S137F, created in 2023 in a collaboration between the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, Jones College of Business, and MTSU’s Information Technology Division. It is equipped with gaming PCs and Nintendo Switch consoles.

As the popularity of video gaming continues to explode, MTSU began offering two new esports concentrations this fall.

The development of the two undergraduate concentrations—Esports and Gaming Content Creation housed in the Scott Borchetta College and Esports Coaching offered by Leisure and Sport Management in

the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences—has been a collaborative effort with stakeholders across campus to give students pathways to the needed skills and a degree for an industry that was previously unavailable in the region.

“Students will have the opportunity to learn about the variety of skills needed in the esports industry and learn specialized skills in areas in which they want to focus,” said Richard Lewis, Esports and Gaming Content Creation coordinator and associate professor. “There are hands-on experience opportunities working with the MTSU Esports club and a number of community organizations while earning their degree.”

Lewis said the MTSU concentrations will provide esports competitors with valuable skills in creating content and revenue streams. Students will also choose from minors to give them specific skills within their professional interests.

The Media and Entertainment degree program’s Esports and Gaming Content Creation concentration teaches students about the aesthetics, ethics, marketing, and technology needed to create gaming-related content and streams.

The Esports Coaching concentration under the Leisure and Sport Management major uses the core interdisciplinary courses but dives deeper into the skills needed to be an esports coach at the high school, collegiate, or professional level.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual pay for a job in the esports industry in the U.S. is $156,348. Jobs include professional competitor, content creator, influencer, broadcast manager, social media manager, talent manager, team publicist, coach, assistant coach, events manager, general manager, game analyst, commissioner, and more.

MTSU songwriting students created official songs for Conference USA athletics.

Photo by James Cessna

Say it in a

MTSU’s Commercial Songwriting program continues to make a global imprint on the music industry

by DeAnn Hays, Stacey Tadlock, Robin E. Lee, and Drew Ruble

Given the MTSU Commercial Songwriting program’s proximity to Nashville, one might think the program caters exclusively to the country music segment.

Quite the contrary, the program serves all types of songwriters—all genres and backgrounds.

Successful alums bear out that diverse approach. They include writers with credits on RIAA Platinum-certified works by global artists ranging from South Korean boy band BTS (Sebastian Garcia, aka Rufio Hooks, on “Butter”) and Lady Gaga (Aaron Raitiere on A Star is Born, including the single “I’ll Never Love Again”) to Jake Owen (Eric Paslay on title cut “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”) and Evanescence (Amy Lee on Fallen, including single “Bring Me to Life”), among many more.

Like the aspiring student songwriters, the program’s faculty are also diverse. Among the faculty members who bring real-world experience and insights to MTSU classrooms is Grammy Award winner and MTSU alumnus Torrance “Street Symphony” Esmond. Adjunct faculty include Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit songwriter Shelly Peiken (“What a Girl Wants” by Christina Aguilera, “I’m a Mess” by Bebe Rexha), who teaches a Pop/Rock Songwriting Workshop; Jamie Teachenor, who recently wrote the anthem for the U.S. Space Force; Bonnie Baker, a songwriter and producer; and multiplatinum songwriter and producer Doug DeAngelis, who teaches Songwriting for Film, TV, and Gaming.

Bess Rogers, a full-time/tenure-track songwriting professor, has had song placements in commercials for Cheerios, Mott’s, and Hershey’s, as well as many films and television shows. She was lead guitarist for hit pop artist Ingrid Michaelson and played lead guitar in the Broadway musical about the Go-Go’s, Head Over Heels. Rogers additionally served as lead guitarist and singer in the band Secret Someones.

Last but not least, the program is led by Grammynominated Associate Professor Odie Blackmon, a professional songwriter who wrote such hit songs as “I May Hate Myself in the Morning” by Lee Ann Womack, “She’ll Leave You with a Smile” by George Strait, and “Nothing On but the Radio” by Gary Allan.

The program is the gold standard among university songwriting programs nationwide and a big reason the Department of Recording Industry continuously shows up on Billboard ’s annual list of the best music business schools.

Here are a few recent highlights:

Brand Recognition

When Conference USA (CUSA) set out to revamp its brand campaign, conference officials turned to the Department of Recording Industry at MTSU for a sound that would resonate with their audience.

“This is the kind of collaboration that prepares students for the industry and gets their work out into the world.”

Specifically, they were looking for a student-created original song for the conference’s new official brand spot, which airs nationally on ESPN/ESPN+/CBS Sports Network.

In fall 2024, Assistant Professor Bess Rogers worked closely with CUSA’s branding and marketing coordinator, Erika Hirschfield, to launch the CUSA Song Competition, a challenge that invited Recording Industry students to compose an original anthem capturing the energy, unity, and spirit of the conference.

Armed with CUSA’s marketing playbook and a creative brief, students across the Recording Industry program eagerly took on the task.

More than 20 original songs were submitted—so many impressive entries, in fact, that CUSA expanded its selection from one winner to four student songs that would be featured in 2025–26 campaigns.

Final vocal tracking took place in Studio D on campus in 2025, with a production crew from CUSA on site to capture behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with both students and faculty.

“This is the kind of collaboration that prepares students for the industry,” Rogers said, “and gets their work out into the world.”

The Man Behind “The Voice”

A song written by Blackmon, the Commercial Songwriting program director and hit songwriter, was recorded by Bryce Leatherwood, a recent winner of The Voice television singing competition series.

The song, “Cheap Cologne,” appeared on Leatherwood’s 2024 album.

“It’s exciting to discover new artists and get to be part of their journey,” Blackmon said.

Blackmon, who co-wrote the song with Jimmy Ritchey and Kevin Denney, said his grandfather’s cologne inspired the song.

“My grandfather always wore Old Spice, and the idea of this song is a lover smelling like cigarettes and cologne, which leads to the imagery of close dancing in a country bar,” Blackmon said. “The song was centered around that idea and hook, ‘She don’t smoke and smell like cheap cologne.’ ”

Leatherwood won Season 22 of the NBC hit show in December 2022 and has been working on launching his country music career ever since.

Blackmon also had an exciting experience backstage at the Grand Ole Opry cheering on Leatherwood during his debut performance in September 2024.

Blackmon, who earned his bachelor’s degree from MTSU’s Recording Industry Department, returned to his alma mater to teach in 2014. Since then, he has doubled the enrollment in the Commercial Songwriting program, recruited wellknown adjunct professors, and created courses.

He also oversaw the planning and building of the Songwriting Center, located in the Miller Education Center, and helped raise $50,000 for the project. The center, which opened in 2023, includes state-of-the-art songwriting classrooms, an atrium for live performances, and a collaborative workspace.

Tickets to Ride

Six songwriting students had a chance of a lifetime as they attended the 58th annual CMA Awards in downtown Nashville with Odie Blackmon in November 2024—all thanks to an alumna who worked to “make it happen.”

The plan to attend the awards show was a conversation a year in the making, beginning in 2023 after Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahan invited Blackmon and some students to attend a backstage panel for that year’s show.

“The CMA has a long history of supporting students, teachers, and education,” said Blackmon, who teaches

Jamie Teachenor, adjunct professor and Space Force anthem author, was recently inducted into the Missouri Music Hall of Fame.

Commercial Songwriting students attended last year’s CMA Awards.

songwriting and still collaborates with multiple artists on penning their tunes.

Fast-forward to 2024 when Blackmon’s former student Devin Ford—who now works for the CMA overseeing social media—reached out to him via social media and said she wanted to get tickets for some MTSU students.

“It’s so important to provide students with opportunities like this since it offers valuable exposure to the music industry and helps guide them in their career paths,” Ford said.

Three MTSU alumni—Jason Hall (mixing), Mitchell Tenpenny (new artist), and Hilary Scott of Lady A (musical group)— were nominated for CMA Awards at the show.

A Higher Calling

Teachenor, a singer-songwriter and Commercial Songwriting adjunct professor who wrote the U.S. Space Force anthem, was inducted into the Missouri Music Hall of Fame recently.

His father, Jim Teachenor, a Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee, was not only his greatest influence but also his biggest fan. It was Jim who inspired Jamie’s first song,

“You Can Fall in Love with Me,” penned about his high school sweetheart and now wife, Jen.

Teachenor’s musical journey took him to Nashville, where he had the opportunity to collaborate with country music icons like Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Trisha Yearwood.

One of his proudest moments was when Yearwood recorded his song “Met Him in a Motel Room” for her album Prizefighter: Hit After Hit

One of Teachenor’s most well-known works is “How Do You Get That Lonely,” recorded by Blaine Larsen. The song, which became his first hit single, was inspired by the tragic loss of a high school student who took his own life.

In 2015, Teachenor took an unexpected detour in his career, enlisting in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 35. He became a member of the Air Force Academy Band’s country ensemble, Wild Blue Country. Touring across the country, he performed for troops and civilians alike, bringing music to the military community.

Teachenor’s service in the Air Force led him to an even greater honor: composing the official anthem for the Space Force, “Semper Supra.” His anthem was officially adopted and performed at the Pentagon in 2022.

MTSU’s Video and Film Production students don’t just earn a degree— they build a résumé by DeAnn Hays, Stacey Tadlock, and Drew Ruble

Students in MTSU’s Video and Film Production program learn the art of cinematic storytelling and how to apply those skills to any genre— theatrical films, documentaries, television, music videos, commercials, web content, streaming platforms, instructional films, and more. Productions with Grammy-winning music artists, the Nashville Symphony, and Bonnaroo are regular class projects.

It is housed in MTSU’s Department of Media Arts—the largest, longest-running, and most comprehensive school for creative media production in the state and in the region.

One of MTSU’s most active and high-profile fields of study, the program generates a treasure trove of stories annually. Here, then, are several exemplary stories from the most recent calendar year.

A Model of Consistency

Media Arts students (along with Video and Film Production alumni) once again crewed the live broadcast of the annual Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards ceremony in 2025— including the executive producer, director, graphics producer, and playback producer—using MTSU’s mobile production lab.

On Feb. 15, the team took the mobile production lab to Nashville to produce the 39th Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards.

Eighteen hours of setup, live coverage, and teardown (in the rain!) gave students another opportunity at hands-on industry experience and priceless networking with media pros.

MTSU has a more than 20-year legacy of Emmy involvement, but for the second year in a row, students from the VFP 4941 Advanced Multi-camera Video Production class handled the entire broadcast.

Passing with Flying Colors

The almost 50 students crewing at the 2025 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June learned another lesson about the unpredictability of live event production. Heavy rains on Day 2 forced festival organizers to cancel the remainder of the four-day festival, and students and faculty had to cut their work short at the farm in Manchester. Strong and steady rains, with lightning and strong wind, quickly turned into a mix of pooled water and muddy fields.

“We are beyond gutted, but we must make the safest decision and cancel the remainder of Bonnaroo,” the festival said in a social media post.

MTSU students had deployed to Bonnaroo as part of a yearslong tradition of providing real-world experience in video and audio production at the festival and generating story and photo coverage for Tennessee media outlets.

Nevertheless, the Scott Borchetta College contingent still produced content of Bonnaroo during the first day’s lineups and filed stories for multiple media outlets, including Hulu, WKRN News 2 in Nashville, the Nashville Scene, and newspapers in the Tennessee Press Association.

“While we are certainly heartbroken that Bonnaroo has to be canceled, it remains a great learning opportunity for our students,” Scott Borchetta College Dean Beverly Keel said.

“They were able to see up close how real-time decisions are made and what should be prioritized.

“While the mud will wash away, their memories will last a lifetime.”

A Piece of the Rock

Professor Frank Baird has given several MTSU Recording Industry students a life-changing opportunity with costfree trips to explore the heart of the live entertainment production industry.

Brooke Colebank and Aaron Shipp recently represented the University at the Experience Live career fair at Rock Lititz in Pennsylvania, connecting with top industry professionals alongside 500 students from across the country.

Exploring Rock Lititz—a 109-acre hub of live entertainment innovation—offered students invaluable insights and career inspiration.

The highlight? An exclusive backstage tour, limited to just 15 people, through Tait’s production facility, Atomic’s factory, and Clair Global’s operations.

Baird also helped secure full funding for students’ expenses from inside and outside the University for three separate trips so far, including from Workforce LIVE, a nonprofit established at the event. Other scholarships were provided by Nighthawk Video and Elation Lighting.

Connor Anthony, Sydney Horner, and David Victor have also attended the event, and more Scott Borchetta College students are set to gain this rare behind-the-scenes perspective. Opportunities like this prepare students to lead in the industry and turn their ambitions into reality.

Breaking Ground

Five MTSU students flew from Nashville to Austin, Texas, for SXSW in March, and three of them would make festival history, according to a report by feature editor Shauna Reynolds for student-run Sidelines . SXSW each year recruits a student production crew from university audio production programs. Previously, only Texas students joined the crew. In 2025, MTSU Audio Production majors Kendall Burrill, Audrey Lapp, and Brooke Colebank became the first out-ofstate students to take part in this crucial task.

SXSW, or South by Southwest, is a major annual conference and festival that celebrates the convergence of interactive media, film, music, and more. The multiday event features conferences, film screenings, music showcases, exhibitions, and networking opportunities.

Keep on Truckin’

The mobile production lab truck used by students in MTSU’s Department of Media Arts celebrated its 500th shoot since its 2011 debut. The milestone shoot happened as the Blue Raider football team fought against Conference USA rival Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers in September 2024 at Floyd Stadium.

“The Truck,” as it is affectionately called, went online in September 2011 when MTSU students worked on the first production for the Capitol Records Street Party on Lower Broad in downtown Nashville. Since then, the almost $2 million mobile production lab has been used for a variety of MTSU sports for ESPN+ Sports; the CMA Red Carpet PreShow for WKRN-TV News 2 and ABC affiliates; and concerts for the Nashville Symphony. The list goes on: dozens of live concerts at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival; the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Pit Stop Competition; the

Over 500 productions so far by student teams from inside the MTSU mobile production truck

National Women’s Hockey League Skills Competition, which was watched by 800,000 people on X (formerly known as Twitter); and The Songwriters series for PBS stations.

Students fill every position on the production truck—the sort of hands-on, real-world experience and skills that give them a competitive advantage in the job market as they launch their professional careers.

A Historic First

The Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment marked a historic milestone in May 2025 with its first graduate from its Motion Design concentration.

Sarah Varni was the program’s first student when the Motion Design concentration was added in Fall 2022 to the Video and Film Production major. Motion design is an expanding field where professionals create moving visual imagery for TV, film, video games, social media, websites, and more. With no other college in the state offering a Motion Design concentration, MTSU’s program provides an affordable option in the region.

The Department of Media Arts has long been a leader in animation, video, and film, so developing a curriculum specifically for motion design in coordination with the Graphic Design concentration in the College of Liberal Arts’ Department of Art and Design was a great opportunity.

Lighting a Fuse

Chicago-based Fuse Technical Group donated a 400-panel LED screen for use by film and television students.

“This gift will greatly aid our tour production and XR/VR (extended reality and virtual reality) filmmaking classes, which help train and place our students into those industries,” said Bob Gordon, now chair of the Department of Media Arts.

Patrick Eaton, project manager and account executive at Fuse and a 2009 graduate of MTSU’s then Radio and TV Production program, was on campus to donate the billboard-sized screen.

The high-resolution video panel can be used for various applications, including digital scenery and live visuals for concerts, Eaton explained. Panels can be configured into smaller screens, big screens, or a single large surface.

MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment rebrands in honor of Music Row executive Scott Borchetta

by Drew Ruble

Visionary music executive Scott Borchetta, whose legendary career includes the 2005 signing of then-unknown artist Taylor Swift to his independent record label, has come a long way from the 19-year-old, California-born musician who first stepped onto the MTSU campus with his bandmates to record tracks in University studios.

“We made friends with one of the students, and they had some studio time, and we came and recorded a couple times,” Borchetta recalled.

It didn’t take Borchetta long to realize his destiny wasn’t in making music but rather in promoting it.

“Playing in bands was so hard, trying to get four or five guys to truly commit to everything it takes to make it,” he said. “By comparison, the record business came pretty easy. So I decided to stop fighting it and start running toward it, and my whole life changed.”

Borchetta’s first record business job was in the mailroom of the independent promotion company owned by his father, Mike. The first industry job he secured on his own was working with actress and film producer Mary Tyler Moore’s Nashville-based country music record company, MTM Records, in the 1980s.

“There were only two of us in the radio promotion department, and I was assistant national director of promotion,” Borchetta said. “Working with independent promoters, we started having No. 1 records. We were beating RCA. Beating Columbia. Beating Warner Brothers. And I was like, ‘OK, even as a small operation, we can kind of whip their butts.’ ”

Borchetta later joined those major labels. As an independent promoter, he offered to work for MCA Nashville for free for two of its newer artists. One was Marty Stuart, who, with Borchetta’s support, earned his first Top 10 single, “Hillbilly Rock.” Borchetta would later become head of promotions for MCA.

DreamWorks Nashville later gave Borchetta his first experience running an indie label. There he championed artist Toby Keith to household name status.

His true rise to fame, though, came after departing the major record label system and stepping out on his own with the launch of Big Machine Records in 2005. He did so with the signing of a 15-year-old female artist who had been turned down by every major record label on Music Row: the now-ubiquitous Taylor Swift. The rest, as they say, is history.

“This is a great place. And this is an opportunity to really make sure the MTSU story keeps getting told.”

Now, a major financial gift Borchetta has given to MTSU’s storied College of Media and Entertainment—home to one of America’s top music business schools—has resulted in its renaming to the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment at MTSU.

The donation from Borchetta promises to amplify MTSU’s critical role in supplying the media and entertainment industries with ready-to-work graduates and future leaders.

“When you look at how many music executives have come out of MTSU, and how many great artists and engineers and songwriters, not to mention media and production professionals, I felt it was a great place to really lift it up and make sure that the industry knows how important MTSU is to the industry,” Borchetta said, emphasizing that the college prepares students not just for careers in the recording industry but also in film, television, journalism, public relations, photography, and beyond.

“I think MTSU, unless you’ve been here, and unless you’re a student, or alumni, and know about it, it deserves more attention. . . . If I can help lift them up to be even further recognized at the highest level . . . I’m all in.

“This is a great place. And this is an opportunity to really make sure the MTSU story keeps getting told. Not only to keep telling that story, but to help people create new stories. That’s really what this is all about.”

Borchetta described returning to campus all these years later to place his name on the college, which houses a music business program ranked among Billboard ’s best since 2013, as “surreal.”

“It says we’ve done some pretty good work,” Borchetta said. “But we’re not done.

Dean Beverly Keel (l–r), President Sidney A. McPhee, and Scott and Sandi Borchetta

“We dreamt big about what we could do with our artists and our label. But this is kind of the biggest dream of how we can really help people . . . to imprint and inspire and hopefully create aspirational media.”

A Life in Music

Borchetta is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, Nashville’s leading independent record label, which has been home to superstars including Swift, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Riley Green, Carly Pearce, Mötley Crüe, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), and many more.

With Borchetta at the helm, Big Machine has celebrated monumental success for more than 20 years, including multiple Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and Billboard Music Awards. He has led the charge on more than 226 million albums sold by Big Machine artists, in addition to sending more than 265 singles to No. 1 on the country, pop, and rock charts.

As an executive producer, he’s delivered indelible works of art including the impressive 20-track Petty Country, a tribute album of country artists singing Tom Petty songs,

Borchetta celebrating 20 years of Big Machine Records during IndyCar’s Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix race weekend

and the documentary Glen Campbell . . . I’ll Be Me, which won a Grammy for its soundtrack.

A former in-house mentor on American Idol, Borchetta has been tapped for Billboard ’s Power 100 list and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, and was honored with the Music Business Association’s prestigious Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive, the Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) President’s Award, the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award, and most recently, selection to the T.J. Martell Foundation “Circle of Legends” inaugural class, which includes other industry legends such as Clive Davis.

Among many industry-changing achievements, in 2012, Borchetta made an unprecedented agreement with iHeartRadio, marking the first time in U.S. history that artists and labels would get paid for their recordings on traditional, over-the-air radio with the first-ever terrestrial radio performance right.

Asked what Borchetta saw in Taylor Swift that everyone else missed, he highlighted her clean image and stark differences from everyone else in the genre.

“I don’t need to name names, but if you go back and look, you’ll see that most young female artists and celebrities in the early 2000s were experiencing major personal trouble

and getting into things they shouldn’t have gotten into,” Borchetta explained. “After seeing that this generation of young girls needed a better role model, I was looking for the next female that would lead this generation because all those others, in my mind, had failed. You couldn’t take them home to mom.

“They needed a new leader. What ended up happening was fortuitous; but it was something that was very much top of mind for me. I remember thinking, ‘There’s an opportunity here. And maybe I’ll be the first one to find it.’ ” Such forward thinking is an essential trait of the entrepreneur, according to Borchetta.

“I think, when we’re doing this right, we’re the agents of next,” he said. “The next big thing isn’t going to be something we already have; it’s going to be something that’s making noise on the edge of the mainstream. I don’t need the guy who sounds like Tim McGraw—we have Tim McGraw. We’re always looking for something on the edge that is so powerful it will pull the mainstream to it.”

“I think, when we’re doing this right, we’re the agents of next. The next big thing isn’t going to be something we already have.”

Borchetta’s reference to country music megastar McGraw is perhaps not by accident. Decades before Borchetta signed Swift to his fledgling, upstart record label, his father, the aforementioned Mike Borchetta, who was also a successful major label record promoter, signed McGraw to his first contract at Curb Records in Nashville.

Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

The elder Borchetta moved to Southern California in 1959 at the age of 19 with the promise of a job in the record business. When he got there, though, the job no longer existed. Determined not to return home to the East Coast with his tail between his legs like his own father (Scott’s grandfather) had predicted, Mike Borchetta knocked on every door in Los Angeles, determined to find his way into the record business. Decades later, he came to Nashville as an independent promoter, and legendary record executive Mike Curb hired him in 1989 to open the Curb Records office in Nashville.

Scott Borchetta sees a lot of his father’s story of struggling to break into the music business playing out in aspiring MTSU students today.

“It’s still a challenge and now a challenge we can help with,” he said. “So many times people feel there’s no path

to get into the business. Well, there is, and we’re going to continue to work hard to make that path easier and easier to navigate.”

Borchetta lost his dad to ALS in the summer of 2025, just months before announcing his gift to MTSU. Asked what it meant to him not just to put his name on the college but also his father’s, Borchetta replied, “immense pride . . . It’s something that my family can always be proud of.”

Borchetta further cited the influence of his father’s former boss, Mike Curb, in his own decision to make a transformational gift to MTSU. Over the past few decades, Curb has been extremely generous to another Nashville-area college, Belmont University.

“I don’t know if it was a conscious thing, like, ‘I’ve got to be like Mike.’ But I have the utmost respect for Mike, because he’s a dear friend, and if you just watch what he does, how he gives back, and what he’s done for Nashville—it’s extraordinary, and he continues to do so,” Borchetta said. “That’s what we’re supposed to do. To those who have been given much, much is expected. I accept.”

Giving Back

Beverly Keel, an MTSU alumna, is dean of MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment. An award-winning music journalist whose work has appeared in People, Parade, Rolling Stone, The Tennessean, and other publications, Keel is also the former senior vice president of artist and media relations for Universal Music Group Nashville, where she was responsible for the media campaigns for Lionel Richie, Vince Gill, Sugarland, Shania Twain, George Strait, and many more.

Birds of a feather, Keel and Borchetta have known each other for a long time, stemming back to the early ’90s when Borchetta was at MCA and Keel was a music reporter at the Nashville Banner. They later served together on the Country Music Association (CMA) board in 2019.

Keel said one of the first things that popped into her mind when she was named dean of the MTSU College of Media and Entertainment in 2019 was talking to Borchetta about honoring his legacy.

“I knew that I wanted my first task to be talking to Scott about celebrating and formalizing his legacy,” she said. “I broached the subject at the end of a late fall 2019 CMA board meeting, which led to our meeting along with Pat Branam, who was then in MTSU’s development department, in December 2019.

About MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College

Curriculum in MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment blends theoretical knowledge with practical experience, ensuring students are well-prepared for their chosen careers.

The Scott Borchetta College offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Advertising and Public Relations, Animation, Audio Production, Interactive Media, Journalism, Media Management, Recording Industry (with a Commercial Songwriting or Music Business concentration), and Video and Film Production. A Bachelor of Fine Arts is offered in Photography. Students also can pursue an interdisciplinary Media and Entertainment degree with a concentration in either Esports and Gaming Content Creation or Interdisciplinary Media, combining skills across fields for today’s media careers.

At the graduate level, the college offers a Master of Fine Arts in Recording Arts and Technologies, a Master of Science in Media and Communication, and a fully online master’s in Digital Media. In collaboration with the Jones College of Business, the college also offers a Music Business concentration within the M.B.A. program, as well as an Entertainment Law concentration within the Master of Science in Legal Studies program, provided in partnership with the Nashville School of Law and launching in summer 2026.

The 80,000-square-foot John Bragg Media and Entertainment Building houses cutting-edge production facilities for recording industry and radio-television, along with computer labs for animation and graphics. Additionally, the McFarland Building provides photography studio, darkroom, and lab spaces.

MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College is home to several distinguished centers, including the Center for Innovation in Media and the Center for Popular Music, as well as the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies and WMOT-FM—a 100,000-watt public radio station.

With a team of more than 65 dedicated faculty members, students receive personalized instruction in small-class settings. Faculty members hold advanced degrees and possess extensive professional experience, ensuring that students receive high-quality education grounded in realworld practice.

The Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment started with a journalism course in 1938. It evolved into a department in 1971 and became a college in 1989. The addition of Recording Industry came in 1973, and the John Bragg Media and Entertainment Building opened in 1991. Formerly known as the College of Mass Communication, the college was renamed in 2015 to better reflect its modern mission.

“MTSU has the only college of media and entertainment in the world, so we knew it would take a one-of-its-kind partner to propel the college to our next chapter, and that is exactly what Scott is.”

The pandemic hit, putting Keel and Borchetta’s plans on hold. Finally, in August 2025, the gift was announced in sync with Big Machine’s celebration of its 20th anniversary in September.

“I can’t overestimate how important this is to the life and history of the college,” Keel said. “This propels us to international acclaim because Scott’s name is recognized and respected around the world. By partnering with Scott, we are exposing our students to cutting-edge ideas and perspectives.

“Scott is the perfect namesake for our college because he is a tremendous role model for our students. He is an innovator and disruptor, a visionary entrepreneur who leads the industry in new areas. He remains on the cutting edge of technology but always remains focused on the human element of everything he does, whether it’s how to manage employees or reach fans with new music.

“We are so honored that Scott has partnered with MTSU to educate generations of college students in media and entertainment. For decades, Scott has improved the lives of his artists and employees. Now he will improve several thousand lives at a time. I can’t wait to see what we do together!”

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee called the renaming “a truly historic event” and “a project years in the making.”

“As one of Music City’s leading entrepreneurs and visionaries, Scott Borchetta has earned the reputation as one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and forward-thinking leaders,” McPhee said, describing the gift as “what happens when one’s vision and passion combine with dedication and hard work.”

Borchetta said once he became a leader in the industry, “it really kind of hit me over the head that we weren’t doing enough to give back. . . . So, this is a continuation of that mission, to make sure we are giving back.”

The MTSU gift isn’t Borchetta’s first foray into supporting education. He and his wife, Sandi Spika Borchetta, who works as the executive vice president of creative at Big Machine Label Group, previously created the Music Has Value fund in support of music in schools and music therapy.

Outside education, the Borchettas partnered with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in 2020 to form

The Big Machine Neighborhood, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) wing, and continued their support in 2025, aiding in the expansion of the NICU to a new floor, named the Scott and Sandi Borchetta Floor.

Additional charitable initiatives include a multi-year, multi-artist campaign that found Big Machine Label Group and Borchetta joining forces with General Mills and Feeding America for a nationwide effort aimed at fighting hunger. The initiative has sent more than 50 million meals to communities across the country, with an apt tagline: “It Takes a Big Machine to Outnumber Hunger.” Borchetta, a car racer himself, played a crucial role in bringing IndyCar back to Nashville and put his name and heft behind Nashville’s annual open-wheel auto race, the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix IndyCar championship event.

But the gift to MTSU is Borchetta’s most ambitious to date. He hopes its impact will be to give current and future students greater opportunities to fulfill their dreams of having a career in the music business—just like him.

“Scott is the perfect namesake for our college because he is a tremendous role model for our students. He is an innovator and disruptor, a visionary entrepreneur who leads the industry in new areas.”

Yes, the music business has been good to Borchetta. But Borchetta has been equally good for the music business. A respected innovator in a historically tough business once torpedoed by online streaming and still beset by chronic distribution challenges, Borchetta described the MTSU gift as an investment in human capital—the ever-new generations of young students enrolling in the college who will develop future innovations in media and entertainment.

“We’re here now to say, ‘How can we share our experience to help you understand what a win looks like and avoid some of the big mistakes we made?’ And to understand that this is always evolving. That’s the goal,” he said.

It’s a goal and a financial commitment worthy of having his name forever attached to the college. But don’t expect Borchetta to get caught up in the legacy he’s creating for himself by making such a monumental impact.

“That’s for other people to ponder,” Borchetta said. “I just do the work.”

Borchetta (center) with Dean Keel (l) and department chairs

Robert Gordon, Media Arts; Katie Foss, Journalism and Strategic Media; and Michelle Conceison (r), Recording Industry

STUDENT SUCCESS

Inside the walls of the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building, students passing to and fro are already busy chasing down their dreams by Drew Ruble and Stacey Tadlock

So many impressive students, so few pages!

We could fill this magazine with profiles of media and entertainment students doing inspiring work that promises to change the world.

Here, then, is a selection of students who are already building impressive professional résumés and are sure to stand out as up-and-coming professionals in their fields.

Reaching the Pinnacle

The Middle Tennessee News (MTN) student team led by Christine Eschenfelder, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, and Dan Eschenfelder, lecturer in the school, received two prestigious Pinnacle Awards from the College Media Association.

Competing in Division I alongside schools like Penn State and the University of Michigan, MTN took home awards in the Best Video Entertainment Program category for Shadow of the Killer: The Kenny Lovelace Story (first place) and Off the Beaten Path: England and Scotland (honorable mention).

These flagship awards, from the nation’s largest organization serving collegiate media advisors, honor the best in college media organizations and individual work across the country.

Read All About It

Sidelines, the University’s student-run media platform, is celebrating 100 years of service to campus! Originally a printed newspaper, Sidelines has evolved into a news website and email newsletter while remaining true to its mission as a student-led news organization.

The MTSU media organization has about 40 staffers, and the outlet published around 250 stories in the Spring 2025 semester alone.

Sidelines also took home numerous awards in the national Apple Awards during the College Media Association’s Spring National Media Convention in New York City in 2025. These awards honor the best in college media organizations and individual work across the country.

• Best Feature Photography: First place to Skyler Wendell for her work at Bonnaroo

• Best Crisis Coverage: Third place to Sidelines staff for coverage of the campus suicide last fall

• Best Newsletter: Third place to Alyssa Williams and Bailey Brantingham for The Weekly

• Best News Photography: Third place to Sam McIntyre for his coverage of a gun reform protest in Nashville following the high school shooting in Antioch

• Best Social Media Coverage of a Single Event: Honorable mention to Paige Mast and staff for Sidelines ’ election night campaign

On the Big Stage

Music Business student Carley Vogel (who was 2024 Miss Tennessee) finished second runner-up at the 2025 Miss America pageant in January.

“Participating in the pageant itself was surreal. It was an honor to share the stage with such incredible women and to represent Tennessee, a state I love dearly,” Vogel said. “The connections I made and the stories I heard reinforced my belief in the power of community and advocacy.”

After graduating, she plans to dive into the country music scene to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

Fellow MTSU student Zoe Scheiderich was more recently named Miss Tennessee 2025 and represented Tennessee at the 2026 Miss America pageant, held in September 2025. She was one of 11 semifinalists.

Fellow Scott Borchetta College alum Ashley Eicher was Miss Tennessee in 2004.

Blue Raider Royalty

Sports Media student Tristan Parr and Animation major Hannah Colson ( pictured above ) were named 2025 Homecoming King and Queen. Media Management major Kevarrius Wright was crowned Homecoming King last fall.

Student Scholars

Several CME students were honored for their research presentations during MTSU Scholars Week in 2025. Scholars Week is a weeklong tradition during which MTSU’s academic colleges celebrate scholarship, research, and creative activity through a variety of events and activities.

Undergraduate awards went to Kevin Phipps and Camron Stevens (first place), Aaron Rosson (second place), and Seth Savage, Elizabeth Baxter, Copper Rodgers, and Stacey Joan Mary Teves (third place). Graduate winners were Josh Narrell (first place), Aaron Walden and Clay Skiles (second place), and Joseph Infantino (third place).

Good Partners

Middle Tennessee News students produced and fronted a special WBIR Channel 10 Knoxville newscast broadcast live anchored by alum Katie Inman.

This represented the third year of an experiential learning partnership with the Knoxville NBC affiliate, an effort led by MTSU School of Journalism and Strategic Media faculty members Dan and Christine Eschenfelder.

In addition to Inman, WBIR is home to several talented MTSU alumni, including Sarah Oppmann, Seth Chapman, and Roni Portzen.

Best Experience is the

Faculty recognized for their work in and out of classroom

by Stacey Tadlock

Faculty members in the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment are widely recognized and respected within their industries for their knowledge and experience—and their willingness to give students the benefit of their real-world and real-life experience.

As with our students, there are too many achievements to count. Here then are

Audio Master

Mauricio Gargel, assistant professor in the Recording Industry Department, brought his expertise in immersive audio to life at CCXP, Brazil’s largest pop culture convention. For Riot Games’ Arcane: League of Legends booth, Gargel designed an interactive setup with 14 speakers inside an elevator, offering a truly immersive experience.

By utilizing SPAT Revolution for real-time spatial audio, Gargel crafted a dynamic sound environment where visitors journeyed through several floors of the elevator, encountering Warwick, a monster character from League of Legends, along the way.

The experience, which lasted around five minutes, blended visual elements, sound effects, and a carefully crafted narrative to create a captivating experience.

Exposing Deep Roots

MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery grabbed the Gold Prize at the 2024 Southeastern Museums Conference Competition for the 2023 exhibition “Deep Roots: Evocations of the Mississippi Blues.” The exhibit was a collaboration of veteran photojournalist and MTSU

alumnus Bill Steber; Andrea Hall, School of Journalism and Strategic Media assistant professor; Shannon Randol, gallery curator and Media Arts associate professor of Photography; and MTSU graduate students in the Public Relations Storytelling course.

The exhibition combined photographs, mixed-media pieces, and artifacts, along with interviews with Steber made by the students in the storytelling class. A portion of an authentic sharecropper house was also installed in the gallery so that viewers could get a sense of where the blues originated.

“Deep Roots” won in the category for exhibits with less than $10,000 budgets, a feat that comes from a true collaboration of sources, strengths, and talent, Randol noted. In addition to being recognized in the museum world, “Deep Roots” became the most well-attended exhibit in Baldwin Gallery history.

Super Bad

Recording Industry Professor Charlie Dahan won the Tennessee Association of Museums Best Temporary Exhibit award for the James Brown exhibit at MTSU’s Center for Popular Music—an exhibit created with students in a course he taught, Living in James Brown’s America: From Doo Wop to Hip Hop.

Dahan’s research focus lies in the preservation and interpretation of historic recording studios particularly in the South and Midwest. In 2016, he won the MTSU Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Instructional Technology.

Lending a Hand

Leslie Haines, a professor in Journalism and Strategic Media, was featured in an Axios interview for her involvement in Nashville’s innovative Library Lending program. This unique initiative lets residents borrow and display original

works by local artists in their homes—Leslie’s “W is for Walrus” digital collage included! Inspired by Nashville’s vibrant culture, her work is part of the program’s latest wave, which launched in October.

Best in CUSA

Media Arts Chair Bob Gordon was one of 10 faculty members among all the Conference USA universities to receive a CUSA Faculty Achievement award. The awards program was established by the league’s presidents and chancellors to recognize exceptional contributions in teaching, research, and service. In addition to his 18 years of teaching and mentoring at MTSU, Gordon brings 48 years of experience as a professional television producer, director, and production executive to the classroom and the Scott Borchetta College’s Media Arts Productions team.

Covering a Crisis

Katie Foss, director of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, released her newest book, Capturing COVID: Media and the Pandemic in the Digital Era, in 2025. When health authorities quarantined guests aboard the Diamond Princess on Feb. 5, 2020, the cruise ship abruptly shifted from a dream vacation vessel to a public health nightmare. Over the next three weeks, 712 passengers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, with 14 deaths, and the ship outbreak quickly became the largest cluster of cases outside of China. Guests began to routinely share quarantine updates on social media, ranging from the quality of the ship’s food to their sense of imprisonment. These Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok accounts became a key source of information for news outlets and helped to set the tone for how the media would cover and frame the pandemic for the next several years. Foss’ new book makes sense of how this contemporary media landscape shaped the public’s knowledge and perceptions of the new pandemic.

CLASS NOTES

News and updates on former students about their lives and accomplishments by

Stacey Tadlock

Wall of Fame

The Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment recently inducted four extraordinary alumni into its prestigious Wall of Fame, continuing a 24-year tradition of honoring industry leaders whose careers reflect excellence, innovation, and deep ties to the University.

The 2025 honorees— Justin Hart, Don Carr, Jade Driver, and Cassie Petrey —were celebrated at the annual Wall of Fame and Student Scholarship Award Ceremony held in the James Union Ballroom in late April. The event recognized the professional accomplishments of these alumni and spotlighted the next generation of media professionals with nearly 40 scholarships and more than a dozen student awards.

• Hart (’11) is a trailblazing, Emmy-nominated, and NAACP Image Award-winning television producer with a knack for crafting engaging content. Over his 12-plus years in the industry, Hart has helped shape influential shows like Iyanla: Fix My Life, E! News’ Daily Pop, and The Real. His PBS series Fatherhood earned an Emmy nod for its powerful portrayal of Black fatherhood. The CEO of Oak95 Productions and founder of the nonprofit Black Men Crowned, Hart gives back as an adjunct professor for MTSU’s Digital Media Practices course.

• C arr (’95), a Recording Industry graduate, brings more than three decades of award-winning directing and production experience in television and live events. With multiple Emmys and Telly Awards under his belt, Carr has worked with an outstanding list of clients—from the Tennessee Titans and PBS to global acts such as Iron Maiden, Dolly Parton, Post Malone, and Hans Zimmer. His career spans marquee festivals like Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and Woodstock ’99 as well as major network collaborations with ABC, CNN, and Fox.

• Petrey and Driver (’07) are the dynamic duo behind Crowd Surf, a pioneering social media marketing agency with a client list that reads like a Grammy red carpet: the Backstreet Boys, Camila Cabello, Lainey Wilson, and Aerosmith, to name a few. Petrey, a Forbes and Billboard 30 Under 30 honoree, and Driver, a Billboard Digital Power Player, met while studying at MTSU and bonded over a shared love of pop music and emerging digital platforms. What began as street teams and Myspace campaigns evolved into one of the industry’s top agencies, with teams in Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York and a collective social reach of nearly 1 billion followers.

Party in the Grove

The new “Party in the Grove” tailgate event takes place in Walnut Grove before each home football game, starting in fall 2024, to help build excitement for the Blue Raider football team.

Several CME alumni have participated in the game day events. They include:

• Legendary Nedge (Nick Edgerson, ’24)

• HunterGirl (Hunter Wolkonowski, ’20)

• Jaelee Roberts (’23)

• Tyke T (Tyrone Stroble, ’09, ’11)

• Chloe Kimes (’19)

• Carly Rose Ratcliffe, Commercial Songwriting student

• Medium Build (Nicholas Carpenter)

Silver Screen Sound

Brian Chumney (’98) and his team were nominated for an Oscar (Best Sound) and won a Golden Reel Award in 2025 for his technical work on the movie The Wild Robot . Chumney, also nominated for an Emmy in 2025 along with his team for Disney’s The Acolyte, is a supervising sound editor at Skywalker Ranch. He was previously nominated for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for his work on West Side Story. Previous projects also include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Angry Birds 2, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Alice in Wonderland, and John Carter

From Here to Anywhere

Liliana Manyara (’24) had a remarkable internship with the Country Music Association (CMA) her final semester, covering the annual CMA Fest in Nashville. First and foremost, she met Dolly Parton, but she also captured and edited content for CMA’s social media pages. Manyara, who worked on MTSU’s regional Emmy-winning “We Do It All” ad, has now moved from SESAC to her current CMA position.

Giving Back

Tracey Rogers (’91) spoke at one of MTSU’s spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies. Formerly senior vice president and regional manager for Nexstar’s broadcasting division, Rogers is now a Nexstar vice president overseeing the company’s stations in Panama City, Florida; Columbus, Georgia; and Dothan, Alabama.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

A new photo wall in the Bragg Building features alumni artists.

The first installation was a photographic art capstone project titled “The Future Begins” by MaKayla Stovall (’22, Photography). The archival pigment prints originate from

her capstone exhibition and are proudly part of the Dean’s Collection in the Baldwin Photographic Archive.

The second installation featured a Bonnaroo Music Festivalinspired collection by Jordan Ring (’23, Photography). The third showcased Reagan McKay (’23, Photography).

Champion of the Arts

Jeff Lysyczyn (’14), was appointed as the first executive director of the nonprofit Rutherford Arts Alliance (RAA), founded to promote and preserve the arts in Rutherford County. A veteran of the music business, he spent more than 25 years as an artist manager, major label employee, public relations and marketing consultant, and staff songwriter. In 2007, Lysyczyn co-founded Big Show Music Co., which reinvigorated the careers of several veteran recording artists as well as launched the careers of many developing talents such as Joe Diffie, Alex Williams, Lorrie Morgan, Raul Malo, Restless Heart, Mickie James, and others. In his new position, he’ll be able to assist a whole new generation of artists from a wide variety of mediums and styles.

Rising Star

Dean Beverly Keel presented alum Brittney Spencer with an award at the Save the Music event at City Winery. Spencer’s career has been nothing short of remarkable—a debut Elektra album, a headlining tour, and performances on the Ryman stage during Jason Isbell’s residency. She also performed with the Highwomen and has been featured in a Victoria’s Secret campaign, among many other accomplishments. Save the Music does vital work in supporting music education across the country.

Riding a Wave

Medium Build (whose real name is Nicholas Carpenter), a songwriting student during 2011–16, was nominated for 2025 Emerging Act of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Carpenter has released five albums and first charted in 2023 with “Friend for Life,” a collaboration with X Ambassadors. The song debuted at No. 17 on Billboard ’s Alternative Digital Song Sales. He has toured with the likes of Tyler Childers, Lewis Capaldi, FINNEAS, and fellow MTSU alum Julien Baker. Medium Build performed at MTSU’s Party in the Grove this fall.

Good Advice

When Emma Jones graduated in May 2024 with a Journalism degree in Visual Communication (now the Media Design concentration), she had no idea just how many opportunities would come her way. Landing an internship during her junior year at Cronin Creative, Nashville’s go-to source for graphic design and communications, she took every opportunity to grow. The boutique design firm gave her hands-on experience with a variety of projects, leading to a part-time role in her final semester—and ultimately, a full-time graphic designer position after graduation. Her biggest takeaway? Stay open to learning. “You may have classes that feel like a ‘waste of time,’ but you’ll be surprised how much you use that knowledge later. Being well-rounded has made me a stronger designer and given me more opportunities than I ever expected.” Jones now works on corporate magazines, coffee table books, branding, advertising, and websites, collaborating with major clients like Vanderbilt Health, The Mechanical Licensing Collective, and the Mississippi Museum of Art.

Up and Comer

Justin Tart (’23) was nominated for the prestigious 2025 Rising Star Award with the Midsouth Regional Emmys. This award recognizes outstanding achievements by up-and-coming professionals in the entertainment industry. Tart’s highlights include working on the Nashville Predators broadcast for 2024 playoff Games 3 and 4 on Bally Sports, being part of the historic Vanderbilt football win over Alabama, and playing a key role in cutting the Dan + Shay concert in 4K HDR live on SEC Network ahead of the SEC Football Championship game.

Named a “Grammy-winner factory” a few years back by NBC News, MTSU now boasts nearly 50 Grammy Awards captured by more than 20 University-connected winners since 2001 in categories from classical to pop to rock to country to gospel and rap.

MTSU alumni, former or current students, and faculty from across the University also have been a part of more than 170 Grammy Award nominations in that time.

Alumnus Brandon Bell (’04, Recording Industry), a multiple winner and nominee among nine MTSU repeat recipients, grabbed another Grammy during music’s biggest night in February 2025.

An audio production engineer, Bell was honored for his mixing work on Billy Strings Live Vol. 1 by artist Billy Strings, which won for Best Bluegrass Album at the 67th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. He won the same award in 2013. His other Grammy, in 2023, was in the Best Americana Album category.

“Brandon has been doing important work for years . . . and is building a body of work that is shaping popular music and will stand the test of time,” said Beverly Keel, dean of the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment. Now a three-time Grammy winner, Bell was competing in the same category as fellow alum and singer-songwriter

Jaelee Roberts (’23, Commercial Songwriting), a first-time nominee who was nominated as part of the group Sister Sadie and its album No Fear

Other MTSU-trained professionals who were nominated for their work this year included singer-songwriter Jessi Alexander, a former Social Work student, and audio production engineer Jason Hall (’00, Recording Industry), who had two nominations each, as well as audio engineers Bobby Holland (’06, Recording Industry), Jimmy Mansfield (’14, Audio Production), and Chris James

Led by MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, the University again sent a group of administrators, faculty, staff, and students to Southern California to celebrate alumni nominees, network with industry professionals, and provide Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment students opportunities to volunteer, get a behind-the-scenes look at the industry, and make connections.

Several students on the trip did volunteer work in Los Angeles with Musically Fed, which works with artists, promoters, management, and venues nationwide to donate unused backstage and event meals to community organizations that feed people facing homelessness, hunger, and food insecurity. Students picked up food from legendary music promoter Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party.

The students—Bailey Brantingham, Ariana Grosh, Asahi Morena Mora, William Howard Price, Mark Lucian Smith Jr.,

and Susan Sullivan—arrived earlier in the week. They were accompanied on the trip by Recording Industry Chair Michelle Conceison; Denise Shackelford, assistant professor; and Holly Allen, assistant director of MTSU’s Career Development Center.

As a part of this year’s Grammy trip, sponsored by alumna Pam Wright, the University not only celebrated the former students nominated for Grammys but also showed support for alumni and friends affected by the area’s devastating wildfires.

The University, along with music industry alums and leaders, recognized nominees at a gathering at Mama Shelter hotel on Saturday, Feb. 1, to draw attention to MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charitable entity that had already provided millions in fire relief assistance to artists and music workers after the wildfires.

At the event, McPhee and Keel named Alexander an honorary professor in the Recording Industry Department and recognized Roberts with a special certificate as a first-time nominee.

A day earlier, MTSU students also volunteered to help MusiCares stage its Persons of the Year gala honoring iconic rock band the Grateful Dead.

“I’m proud of not only our nominees, but also these tremendous students for helping MusiCares raise money and awareness,” McPhee said.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee recognizing Grammy nominee Jessi Alexander

Added Conceison: “Our students have a rare opportunity to volunteer at one of the music industry’s most impactful events, connect with MTSU alumni working in music, and visit legendary studios and places of significance in Los Angeles.”

THE LEADING

News and notes from around the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment

by Nancy DeGennaro, DeAnn Hays, and Stacey Tadlock

Taking the Stage

Country star Brantley Gilbert tapped into MTSU’s cutting-edge audiovisual technology by shooting a music video for his song “Over When We’re Sober,” featuring Ashley Cooke, on the extended reality (XR) stage on campus. The unparalleled technology, which uses 403 square feet of high-resolution LED screens as virtual backgrounds on the MTSU stage, prepares students for multifaceted careers. The visual effect is further enhanced

using Unreal Engine software, which causes the background to change appropriately as the camera moves, like in a video game. “I love the fact that Nashville recognizes the technology we have available here at MTSU and that it’s a benefit to the community as a whole and the music industry,” said Mike Forbes, director of technical systems for the Department of Media Arts who has taught at MTSU for 13 years.

Welcome, Visitors

In a powerful afternoon of storytelling, insight, and connection, students in the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment welcomed two seasoned journalists from NewsChannel 5 Nashville— alumnus Chris Davis and Levi Ismail—for an engaging conversation about the evolving landscape of journalism. Davis, an award-winning reporter, returned to campus to share hard-earned wisdom from the field, urging students to take full advantage of the resources, mentors, and tools available at MTSU. Ismail, whose innovative approach to digital storytelling is helping transform how traditional TV news reaches younger audiences on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, addressed essential topics like work-life balance, newsroom priorities, and the role of adaptability in a rapidly changing media environment. Other notable NewsChannel 5 alumni from MTSU include Phil Williams, Aaron Cantrell, and Forrest Sanders.

LEADING EDGE

Historic Upgrade

Bill Crabtree, a professor of Recording Industry and director of the M.F.A. in Recording Arts and Technologies program, helped lead a two-year process to acquire and install a new API Legacy AXS console in MTSU’s recording studios. The addition marks a major investment in professional-grade technology that will help prepare students for real-world work in the audio industry.

The API AXS, a 32-channel (48-frame) analog console, replaces a 20-year-old console that had reached the end of its lifespan. Known for its analog warmth, high headroom, and legendary punchy sound, the API AXS is widely respected across the recording industry. Studios that have featured similar consoles include Electric Lady Studios, Ocean Way Nashville, and Capitol Studios, and artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and the Rolling Stones have used API gear in their recording processes.

“This isn’t just a cosmetic upgrade—it’s a professionallevel tool that students will find in top studios across the country,” said Clarke Schleicher, director of the Recording Industry studios and audio technology.

In addition, Studio C in the Bragg Building has been upgraded with the Carl Tatz Edition Workstation by Argosy, transforming it into a top-tier PhantomFocus MixRoom.

National Leader

For the 11th year, the MTSU Department of Recording Industry in the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment was named among the best music business schools by Billboard

Billboard ’s 2025 Top Music Business Schools highlighted the new name of the college, recognizing Big Machine Label Group founder and CEO Scott Borchetta’s support of MTSU’s programs (see page 24 ). It also spoke highly of the hands-on opportunities students get working at high-profile events like the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Grammy Awards, and the Country Music Awards, among other experiences.

“As our team educates to prepare students to lead an ever-changing music industry, we constantly mind the now and the future. I am grateful for the care and engagement of 50 years of alumni who actively participate in student learning experiences,” Recording Industry Chair Michelle Conceison said.

MTSU has been on Billboard ’s best music business schools list since 2013, receiving recognition that first year for the Recording Industry program’s entrepreneurial turn. Noting the 50th anniversary of the Recording Industry program in its 2024 listings, Billboard mentioned recent advancements, such as expanding its live entertainment curriculum and taking students to South by Southwest.

“We’re the only music business program housed in a college of media and entertainment, which means our students gain skill sets and collaborate with programs including film and television production, digital media, and animation,” Dean Beverly Keel said.

Writing Inspiration

Grammy-nominated songwriter Sandy Knox brought her blend of humor, honesty, and hard-won wisdom with a Q&A session in her namesake Sandy Knox Lyric Lounge at MTSU’s Songwriting Center. Knox shared stories from her celebrated career and offered advice on navigating the songwriting business to aspiring songwriters. Best known for her hits recorded by Reba McEntire, including “Does He Love You” and “She Thinks His Name Was John,” Knox founded Wrinkled Records and recently released an audiobook musical titled Weighting: My Life If It Were a Musical.

THE LEADING

A Glimpse of the Future

MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College hosted its inaugural High School Day, welcoming nearly 150 students from seven high schools for an immersive look into careers in media and entertainment. Throughout the day, students engaged in a variety of hands-on workshops that showcased different aspects of the industry.

They experienced the art of photography through a high-speed electronic flash demonstration and explored the power of pop culture, trends, influencers, and fashion in media. In live sound production, they learned how audio is amplified for different venues, from intimate nightclubs to massive arenas. A session on video and film production taught students how to analyze and interpret films, while the news and sports broadcasting workshop gave them firsthand experience in writing, reporting, and going on-air.

Students also got an inside look at the world of commercial songwriting, including hearing MTSU songwriting students perform original songs. In an extended reality (XR) demo, they explored cutting-edge technology used in Hollywood productions. A social media storytelling session demonstrated the role of digital platforms in sports coverage, including how they are used during breaking news.

In addition, the School of Journalism and Strategic Media hosted its first Digital Media and Content Creation Camp in June 2025. The weeklong camp, spearheaded by faculty members Katie Foss and Andrea Hall, was designed for rising high school students, with the intent of familiarizing them with the technology and skills they’ll need in college and media careers. Photography Professor Jonathan Trundle assisted several camp groups.

Campers learned a variety of skills, including interviewing, audio recording, and video editing, and used these skills to create media coverage of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, which was being held at MTSU concurrently.

Pizza with the Dean

The first Pizza with the Dean event was a great success at the Scott Borchetta College, with more than 70 first-year students attending the event for pizza and networking.

Home of the Free

The Scott Borchetta College’s Free Speech Center and the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies sponsored Ronald Collins, a retired law professor and First Amendment scholar, for a public discussion last fall about his new book, Tragedy on Trial: The Story of the Infamous Emmett Till Murder Trial

Jennifer Woodard served as moderator for a conversation with Collins about the book that highlighted the long-lost transcript of the trial and revealed new details on the miscarriage of justice that allowed 14-yearold Till’s murderers to go free. He also discussed how the Black press helped get the truth of the lynching out and how other news organizations perpetuated falsehoods.

LEADING EDGE

Superstars Party

The annual CME Superstars Party was a tremendous success—the biggest one yet, with more than 200 people in attendance. This exciting event welcomed prospective students and their families from across the country, including one visitor who traveled all the way from Utah eager to experience what it truly means to be a CME Superstar.

Guests enjoyed a lively and welcoming atmosphere complete with a delicious finger food buffet, the chance to connect with fellow attendees, and the opportunity to network with faculty, current students, and leaders from student organizations. The event was made even more special by live performances from three incredibly talented students from the Recording Industry program, adding the perfect soundtrack to an afternoon full of energy, inspiration, and community.

Traveling on the Path

The Center for Popular Music (CPM) welcomed award-winning NPR Music critic Ann Powers to discuss her new book, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, with CPM Director (and longtime Mitchell fan) Greg Reish.

The Gift of Gear

Microphone designer and manufacturer Lewitt Inc. donated and loaned several of its cutting-edge microphones to serve as unique teaching tools for Audio Production students at MTSU.

Lewitt donated the LCT 240 PRO Vocal Set, which is an XLR condenser microphone that can be used for vocals, podcasts, streaming, and instruments. The Austria-based company also loaned the LCT 1040 TUBE/FET microphone system; the DTP 640 REX kick drum microphone with two capsules; and the LCT 640 TS FET Studio microphone with dual output mode.

Dan Pilver, Lewitt Inc.’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the company “hand-picked some of our most innovative and popular designs, which are used by professional engineers in top studios all around the world.”

Mixing It Up

Recording Industry Department Assistant Professor Mauricio Gargel hosted legendary American record producer and audio engineer Chuck Ainlay during his Introduction to Immersive Audio class. John Merchant, now a professor emeritus, invited the award-winning producer and engineer, who has multiple Grammy, Country Music Association, and Association of Country Music honors to his name. Ainlay gave a guest lecture on immersive mixing techniques and played examples of his work in the Mix Lab.

THE LEADING

Riverside Revival

WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 opened a new satellite studio based in Nashville that allows the station to be where the artists are and expand its live radio and video programming as the largest Americana radio station in the U.S.

A ribbon-cutting celebration was held last fall at the new 800-square-foot satellite studio at the Riverside Revival events venue at 1610 Porter Road in East Nashville. The private event included music, and an in-studio interview with country artist Sunny Sweeney was livestreamed and broadcast on air.

“This satellite studio will allow artists who are touring through Nashville to stop in our studio and have important conversations about their music,” Scott Borchetta College Dean Beverly Keel said.

The Nashville satellite location will be used as a remote studio for live performances, production of shows that require artists to be in-studio, and the base of operations for WMOT’s exclusive “Wired In” performance series, explained Val Hoeppner, the 100,000-watt public radio station’s executive director.

“Being in Nashville is crucial for the future success of WMOT as the largest Americana radio station in the United States,” Hoeppner said. “The satellite broadcast and production studio will allow us to better serve our music community by providing a Nashville base for in-studio performances. . . . It will allow us to be where the artists are.”

A partnership with the Boedecker Foundation helped in part with the opening of the new satellite studio at the foundation’s collaborative campus. Anchored by the Riverside Revival events venue, the campus serves as a modern, affordable space to allow nonprofit organizations to connect and build community.

Punk Universe

The Center for Popular Music research center, housed within MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, recently became the global epicenter for punk rock music archiving and exploration. The world’s largest collection of punk records—the iconic Maximum Rocknroll (MRR) archive— relocated from the Bay Area in California to the campus of MTSU in June 2025.

The archive includes an estimated 60,000 vinyl records, photos, zines, and documents spanning decades of punk rock’s global evolution. Weighing in at around 8 tons, the collection is a defining piece of music history. From public programming to potential panel discussions on punk’s legacy, the center is gearing up to make this iconic collection resonate far beyond its walls. With the acquisition, MTSU isn’t just preserving punk history—it’s amplifying it for future generations.

LEADING EDGE

Study Abroad

Studying abroad offers numerous benefits, including personal growth, academic enrichment, and career advancement. It allows students to experience new cultures, develop language skills, and build a global network of friends and connections. Additionally, it enhances adaptability, problem-solving skills, and independence, making graduates more competitive in the global job market.

The Scott Borchetta College enthusiastically supports study abroad opportunities for its students. Here are examples from the past year.

Seventeen students traveled to London, where they got real-world, hands-on experiences like no other. Organized by Commercial Songwriting Associate Professor Odie Blackmon and co-led by Audio Production Professor Bill Crabtree, the London Calling: The Recording Industry course took place over a week as students from the Commercial Songwriting program within the Recording Industry Department wrote songs with students from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London.

Music Business students from MTSU’s program had the chance to meet and work with industry professionals Char Grant and Julian Palmer. The 17 students also took a backstage tour of the Royal Albert Hall, attended Swan Lake there, toured Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Box, England, attended the musical Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theater in London’s West End, and took in historical sites of music history interest on a London Rock Walk Tour.

Other trips included:

• Media Arts in Brazil (Faculty: Paul Chilsen)

• Belize (Faculty: Deborah Wagnon)

• Three study abroad trips in Ireland in summer 2025:

o Filmmaking in Ireland

o Ireland: From Ancient to AI

o Travel Journalism in Ireland

Amplifying New Voices

Inside MTSU’s Studio B, a new tradition is taking root—one that blends the creative spark of student artistry with the technical expertise of M.F.A. audio production students.

Last fall, the student-run Match Records launched its first professional recording session under this exciting new format, and the results were electric. Spearheaded by Professor Bill Crabtree, the session brought together seasoned session musicians and a team of talented M.F.A. students who ran the soundboard, bringing real-world experience into the academic setting.

The collaboration provided a unique opportunity for both performers and producers to sharpen their skills in a high-stakes, professional environment. Three Match Records artists—Savannah Spann (Sav), Carter Elliott, and Tucker Wilson—each stepped into the spotlight to record an original track. With guidance from Match Records advisor Denise Shackelford, the session marked the beginning of a long-term vision: to host a professional recording session every semester and compile a physical album by year’s end.

For the students behind the scenes, it was more than a class assignment—it was a chance to leave their mark on the music industry before they even graduate.

Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment 1301 E. Main St. MTSU Box 13

Murfreesboro, TN 37132